Brian Robinette is Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality

Brian Robinette, a professor in the Theology Department specializing in systematic, philosophical, and spiritual theology, has been named Boston College’s Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality. He succeeds Pheme Perkins, the inaugural chairholder, who retired from the University in June.

Robinette’s scholarship and teaching are focused primarily on theologies of creation, mysticism, phenomenology, and mimetic theory. A member of the BC faculty since 2012, he teaches undergraduates and graduate students and his courses have included Spiritual Exercises: Engagement, Empathy, Ethics; Love & the Human Condition; Thomas Merton: Monk, Mystic, Prophet; Theology in a Secular Age; and Theology and the Mystical Turn, among others.

In 2025, Robinette received the Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award from BC’s chapter of the international honor society for Jesuit colleges and universities. He was nominated for the award by students for his “exceptional passion for theology and unwavering dedication to student success.”

He is author of The Difference Nothing Makes: Creation, Christ, Contemplation, which explores the meaning of creation “from nothing” in Christian theology. In the book, Robinette argues that creatio ex nihilo is not a speculative doctrine referring to cosmic origins but rather a foundational insight into the very nature of the God-world relation, one whose implications extend throughout the full spectrum of Christian imagination and practice. He is also author of the award-winning book Grammars of Resurrection: A Christian Theology of Presence and Absence, as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles.

His current book project, Letting Creation Happen: An Experiment in Christian Mysticism, explores itineraries of mystical transformation in the Christian tradition, with a particular interest in the dynamics of human consciousness and the cultivation of compassion.

“Professor Robinette is a highly regarded scholar in the areas of systematic theology, mystical theology, and contemplative practice and a distinguished contributor to the life of the University and the wider world of Catholic theology,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “He is also a dedicated and creative teacher who has been part of one of our longest-running Enduring Question pairs in the Core Curriculum. His outstanding contributions to the discipline and to the University make him a most worthy holder of the Joseph Chair in Catholic Spirituality.”

“I am both honored and elated to be named the Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality,” said Robinette. “To be able to do the work I do at a place like Boston College, with the quality of students, colleagues, and staff so characteristic of this institution, is a remarkable opportunity. Given its stellar academic reputation and pronounced commitment to Jesuit and Catholic values, I can think of no place I would rather teach, write, and share in an intellectual community.”

Robinette served as the Theology Department’s director of undergraduate studies from 2015 to 2018 and as co-director of the Joint M.A. Program in Philosophy and Theology from 2013 to 2017. He also was the guest editor for the fall 2023 issue of C21 Resources, published by BC’s Church in the 21st Century Center.

He holds a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame and previously taught at Saint Louis University.

Established in 2012 through an anonymous donor, the Joseph Chair in Catholic Spirituality supports a professor in the Theology Department. The donor also created three other chairs: the Joseph Chair in Theology; the Joseph Chair in Catholic Philosophy; and the Joseph Chair for Catholic Systematic Theology.